Read or Alive

With the encouragement of Henry Lafayette, the Georgia Antiquarian Book Society has brought its annual fair to Catalpa Springs. In Read or Alive by Nora Page, bookmobile librarian Cleo Watkins is thrilled for Henry, her gentleman friend. She loves books as much as he does. (Read or Alive will be published by Crooked Lane Books on May 12.)

Unfortunately, not all Society members have the best interest of books at heart. Two such character are the vivacious, flirty Marilyn Monroe lookalike Kitty Peavy and handsome, suave Hunter Fox. Both are less than scrupulous when it comes to purchasing books. 

Kitty has her eyes focused on a first edition signed copy of Gone With the Wind and Cleo knows someone who owns one - her sweet cousin Dot. Could Kitty have purchased the book from Dot? Impossible.

As Cleo and Mary-Rose make their way around the booths, they see Dot's bookplate in several books. Confused because she knows her cousin would never part with her beloved books, she is stunned when Dot shows up at the fair nearly hysterical demanding her books be returned to her. 

She accuses Hunter Fox of swindling her out of her books, but he quickly denies having any dealings with her. Things go from bad to worse as Hunter Fox is found murdered in an alley behind Henry's shop with the murder weapon being a awl from Henry's shop.

With both Henry and Dot under suspicion, Cleo and Mary-Rose decide they need to solve the case. 

Who knew books could cause such mayhem. This series is charming and delightful to read. I'd love to see the bookmobile in person.

Read on Arrival

Pre-order link

Librarian Cleo Watkins has been hard at work driving the library's bookmobile Words on Wheels to patrons in Catalpa Springs, Georgia while the library building is being repaired and redecorated. In Read on Arrival by Nora Page, Cleo and the bookmobile are about to get a rude awakening. (Read on Arrival will be published by Crooked Lane Books on May 7.)

Board president Mercer Whitty introduces Cleo to his new flamboyant "Inno-brarian" Belle Beauchamp. Belle's ideas for the library include removing old books, painting the rooms shocking colors and replacing Cleo's trusty bookmobile with Belle's flashier one with fewer books. Cleo is incensed and tries to appeal to the good sense of the board.  

In the meantime her nemesis Dixie Huddleston has teased Cleo about an overdue book for nearly 40 years. It seems Dixie has been holding on to a book entitled Luck and Lore, but now, Dixie claims the signs are pointing to an unlucky ending to her life and she wants to make amends. Cleo, unsure this isn't another trick, drives to Dixie's house and finds Dixie locked in her pantry and dead from bee stings. The epi pen she'd tried to use had been filled with sugar water instead of epinephrine.

Also on the scene is Dixie's eccentric son Jefferson and his wife Jacquelyn who hope to open a mime school in Dixie's backyard cottage. At the same time, Dixie's long-estranged daughter Amy-Ray appears claiming she is the rightful heir to the main house. Suddenly people around town are receiving paper coffins threatening their demise.

When Chief Culpepper accuses Cleo of killing Dixie, she knows she has to prove she didn't murder her because of an overdue book or for any reason, especially since the overdue book was not found during the police search of Dixie's house. 

There are plenty of suspects as Dixie was not the most loved person in town and Cleo needs to clear her name before murder strikes again. 

The first in an engaging new series.